Mammals of the WorldRoot Vole
Alexandromys oeconomus
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Cricetidae
- Genus
- Alexandromys
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- Netherlands|Germany|Austria|Hungary|Slovakia|Poland|Lithuania|Belarus|Ukraine|Estonia|Latvia|Norway|Sweden|Finland|Russia|Kazakhstan|Mongolia|China|United States|Canada
- Realm
- Nearctic|Palearctic
Other names: Tundra Vole
About this species
- Size
- About 18 cm, plus a 4 cm tail
- Weight
- About 50 g
- Diet
- Grasses, sedges and seeds
- Habitat
- Damp tundra and moist meadows near water
The root vole, also called the tundra vole, is a medium-sized vole with short ears and a short tail. Its coat is yellowish brown above, becoming paler along the sides, while the underparts are white. A typical animal measures about 18 centimetres overall with a tail near 4 centimetres and weighs roughly 50 grams. Adult males are noticeably larger than females. These proportions and colours are useful field clues, although close vole identification may still require careful examination. (Wikipedia, tundra vole account)
Root voles occupy damp tundra and moist meadows, usually close to water, across northern Eurasia and northwestern North America. They remain active throughout the year, making surface runways in summer and travelling in tunnels beneath winter snow. Their food includes grasses, sedges and seeds, while burrows hold caches of roots and seeds for colder months. Females can produce three to six litters of three to nine young, with reproduction strongest in May and June in the studied Trans-Ural population. (Wikipedia, tundra vole account)
Description: Wildlife of Mongolia guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)